Latest news with #What'sHappeningNow!!
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Danielle Spencer, child star on ‘What's Happening!!,' dies at 60
The show focused on Roger 'Raj' Thomas (Ernest Thomas), Freddie 'Rerun' Stubbs (Fred Berry), and Dwayne Nelson (Haywood Nelson) as they grew up in Los Angeles. Ms. Spencer played Dee, Raj's younger sister, on the original show for 65 episodes, and then again on the reboot, 'What's Happening Now!!,' for 16 episodes. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I had never seen any young Black girl in that type of spotlight, so I didn't have a reference point in the media as to how to deal with this opportunity,' Ms. Spencer told Jet Magazine in 2014. 'I was from the Bronx. What I did was use my own family as the reference on how to portray my character.' Advertisement She became best known for her line 'Ooh, I'm telling Mama,' which fans would regularly say to her for years after. Advertisement 'I chuckle because everyone thinks it's original, so I have to act like it's new every time,' she told Black America Web. Ms. Spencer did not originally get the part after auditioning, she said in an interview with a Richmond CBS affiliate television station in 2016. But a month after her audition, she got a call to head out to Los Angeles — a culture shock for someone who grew up in the Bronx. The character was written as someone who did not hold her tongue and could give as good as she received. Decades after the show went off the air, Ms. Spencer said that her portrayal wasn't inspired by her true personality — at least, not totally. 'I did not have an older brother,' Ms. Spencer told the CBS affiliate. 'However, I had a lot of pent up sassiness because I wanted to be like that. And I had an excuse, so why not?' Danielle Louise Spencer was born June 24, 1965, in the Bronx. Her father, James Spencer, was a civil servant in New York, while her mother, Cheryl (Smith) Spencer, was a schoolteacher. Her acting career began around age 8. 'I realized early on in my acting classes that it was fun memorizing lines, putting on makeup and pretending to be different characters,' she told Jet Magazine. 'Acting really is therapeutic because you're able to relate to your characters and figure out what makes them tick while also infusing your own personality.' After 'What's Happening Now!!' went off the air in 1988, Ms. Spencer studied veterinary medicine at Tuskegee University in Alabama, graduating with a doctorate in 1993. (She obtained an undergraduate degree in marine biology from UCLA.) Advertisement From her telling, her love of animals started as a young girl. 'Ever since I was 5 years old, I can recall bringing my first pet home to my mom,' she told an interviewer in 2012. 'She's like, 'What is this?' I'm saying, 'You have to keep the pet. I mean, you can't throw it out.' And I'm screaming and crying. And she let me.' Her veterinary career lasted several decades. While her acting career mostly stopped with the role of Dee Thomas, she did appear as a veterinarian in the 1997 film 'As Good as It Gets.' During the production of the second season of 'What's Happening!!,' Ms. Spencer and her stepfather, Tim Pelt, were involved in a car crash that ultimately killed Pelt. Ms. Spencer was in a coma for three weeks, with a broken pelvis and limbs. But she healed and returned in time for the show's final season. She later credited Pelt and her mother, Cheryl Pelt, with being huge influences on her acting career, including helping select auditions to attend. In addition to her mother, she is survived by her brother, Jeremy Pelt. Nearly 20 years after the crash, Ms. Spencer developed health problems related to it. In 2004, she began experiencing symptoms of spinal stenosis that left her close to paralysis, and that doctors attributed to the crash. In addition, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and underwent a double mastectomy. She said she leaned on her family to get through it. 'They didn't want me to think of suicide even though I had considered it,' Ms. Spencer recalled in a 2016 interview on the Oprah Winfrey Network. She required emergency brain surgery in 2018. Advertisement In 2016, she was inducted into the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. 'I still can't believe it,' she told Black America Web when she found out about the honor. 'That's something people can look at for years to come, long after I'm gone.' This article originally appeared in
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Danielle Spencer's Cause of Death Revealed
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Danielle Spencer, the former child actor best known for playing Dee Thomas on the 1970s sitcom What's Happening!!, died on Monday at the age of 60. The actress' death was due to gastric cancer and cardiac arrest, family friend and spokesperson Sandra Jones confirmed to ABC News. The Context Spencer starred in 65 episodes of What's Happening!! (1976–1979) and reprised her role in the sequel What's Happening Now!! (1985–1988). The shows were among the early American television programs to follow the lives of Black teenagers. She later earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Tuskegee University in 1993 and practiced in the Richmond, Virginia, area after relocating there from California in 2014, according to ABC News. (L) Actress Danielle Spencer from the TV show "What's Happening!!" poses for a photo in November 1976 in Los Angeles, California. (R) Danielle Spencer, circa 1988. (L) Actress Danielle Spencer from the TV show "What's Happening!!" poses for a photo in November 1976 in Los Angeles, California. (R) Danielle Spencer, circa 1988. Michael; Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer What To Know Spencer died on August 11 at Chippenham Hospital in Richmond. Prior to her death, the sitcom star had a history of health issues. In 1977, Spencer was involved in a car accident that killed her stepfather and manager, Tim Pelt, her website bio states. She was in a coma for three weeks and had broken bones in her arm, leg and pelvis. Decades later, the injuries she endured left her wheelchair-bound, and she underwent physical therapy to learn how to walk again. In 2014, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and in 2018, she had emergency surgery to relieve bleeding in the brain. Spencer was inducted into the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, marking the first time a child star received the honor. "I still can't believe it," she told in 2014. "That's something people can look at for years to come, long after I'm gone." What People Are Saying Sandra Jones told ABC News on Tuesday: "This untimely death is really hard to process right now. She is a sweet and gentle soul and she is going to be missed very, very much." Jeremy Pelt, Spencer's brother and jazz musician, penned a lengthy message to his sister via Instagram: "August 11, 2025 will forever be a reminder of the day that I lost a big part of myself. After many years, my big sister, Dr. Danielle Louise Spencer lost her battle with cancer." "Many of you knew her as 'Dee,' but she was more than a child actress. She was a friend, an auntie to my three children who adored her, she was a daughter- and in many ways, my mother's best friend, she was a veterinarian, she was someone who always remained positive even during her darkest days fighting this disease. And she was MY sister and protector." "My immediate family, of which there were only three of us had an unusual knack for always being connected even if we weren't always in contact with each other. Dani and I- our bond got stronger the older I (in particular) got. She's 11 years older than me. I used to relish our texts back and forth using unfiltered 'real' talk." "She positively LOVED Milo, Charlie and Amma and constantly dreamed of a time they'd all be visiting her and 'Mimi' (grandmother). The times they made it down south, she was always so encouraging. Always so uplifting. I'm rambling...I'm so fucking fucking gutted... I watched her take her last breath... I'm thankful for that." "I love you, forever." Haywood Nelson, Spencer's What's Happening!! co-star, wrote on Instagram: "Brilliance! It comes in a great many forms. We all have them and we all have this family's - Dr. Danielle Spencer (June 24, 1965 - August 11, 2025)." "Dr. Dee, our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior, without fail, has finally found her release from the clutches of this world and a body. We celebrate Danielle Spencer and her contributions as we regret to inform her departure and transition from a long battle with cancer." "We have lost a daughter, sister, family member, What's Happening cast member, veterinarian animal rights proponent and healer, and cancer heroine. Our Shero. Danielle is loved. She will be missed in this form and forever embraced." What Happens Next Spencer is survived by her brother, Jeremy Pelt, and mother, Cheryl Pelt. At the time of writing, no public memorial or funeral plans have been announced.
Arab Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
Danielle Spencer, TV's Dee on 'What's Happening!!,' dies at 60
LOS ANGELES, Aug 13, (AP): Danielle Spencer, who played the wisecracking and tattling little sister Dee Thomas on the 1970s sitcom "What's Happening!!' has died at 60. Spencer, who became a veterinarian later in life, died Monday at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, after a years-long battle with cancer, family spokesperson Sandra Jones said. As Dee, Spencer was the smarter, more serious younger sister who offered a steady stream of deadpan roasts of big brother Roger "Raj' Thomas and his friends Dwayne Nelson and Freddie "Rerun' Stubbs. "Ooh, I'm gonna tell mama,' would become Dee's catchphrase. The show, set in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts and among the first on television to focus on the lives of Black teenagers, was based on the movie "Cooley High' and ran on ABC from 1976 to 1979. It had a long legacy thanks to its memorable characters, including the geeky Raj, the catchphrase-spouting Dwayne, the red-bereted dancing phenom Rerun, and Dee with her eyerolls and icy stare. Early in the production of the show's first season, Spencer, then 12, was in a major car accident on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, that left her in a coma for three weeks and killed her stepfather, Tim Pelt. She would have spinal and neurological problems that would require multiple surgeries in the years afterward. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, and raised in New York, Spencer began acting when she was about 9. "What's Happening!!' would be her first credited role. "Imagine being plucked from obscurity to star in a TV show,' she told Jet magazine in 2014. "I had never seen any young Black girl in that type of spotlight, so I didn't have a reference point in the media as to how to deal with this opportunity. I was from the Bronx.' Haywood Nelson, who played Dwayne on the show, paid tribute Tuesday to "Dr. Dee, our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior.' "We have lost a daughter, sister, family member, 'What's Happening' cast member, veterinarian, animal rights proponent, healer, and cancer heroine. Our Shero,' Nelson said on Instagram. "Danielle is loved.' Spencer also appeared on a mid-1980s reboot of the show, "What's Happening Now!!,' which ran for three seasons. In 2018, she had emergency surgery for a bleeding hematoma, which stemmed from that 1977 car crash. In the immediate aftermath, a family spokesperson said she could only speak slightly and had to use crutches to walk. She had been suffering symptoms since at least 2004, when she had to use a wheelchair and relearn how to walk. In 2014, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy. She went on to become a veterinarian and advocate for animals. She attended the University of California, Davis, and UCLA, and got a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Tuskegee University in 1993. Spencer continued to dabble in acting in her later years, including an appearance as a veterinarian in the 1997 Jack Nicholson film "As Good as it Gets.' She is survived by her brother, musician Jeremy Pelt, and her mother, Cheryl Pelt.
Mint
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Danielle Spencer, who played little sister Dee on What's Happening!!, dies at 60
Los Angeles, August 13 (AP) Danielle Spencer, who played the wisecracking and tattling little sister Dee Thomas on the 1970s sitcom "What's Happening!!" has died at 60. Spencer, who became a veterinarian later in life, died Monday at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, after a year long battle with cancer, family spokesperson Sandra Jones said. As Dee, Spencer was the smarter, more serious younger sister who offered a steady stream of deadpan roasts of big brother Roger "Raj" Thomas and his friends Dwayne Nelson and Freddie "Rerun" Stubbs. "Ooh, I'm gonna tell mama," would become Dee's catchphrase. The show, set in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts and among the first on television to focus on the lives of Black teenagers, was based on the movie "Cooley High" and ran on ABC from 1976 to 1979. It had a long legacy thanks to its memorable characters, including the geeky Raj, the catchphrase-spouting Dwayne, the red-bereted dancing phenom Rerun, and Dee with her eyerolls and icy stare. Early in the production of the show's first season, Spencer, then 12, was in a major car accident on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, that left her in a coma for three weeks and killed her stepfather, Tim Pelt. She would have spinal and neurological problems that would require multiple surgeries in the years afterward. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, and raised in New York, Spencer began acting when she was about 9. "What's Happening!!" would be her first credited role. "Imagine being plucked from obscurity to star in a TV show," she told Jet magazine in 2014. "I had never seen any young Black girl in that type of spotlight, so I didn't have a reference point in the media as to how to deal with this opportunity. I was from the Bronx." Haywood Nelson, who played Dwayne on the show, paid tribute Tuesday to "Dr. Dee, our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior." "We have lost a daughter, sister, family member, 'What's Happening' cast member, veterinarian animal rights proponent and healer, and cancer heroine. Our Shero," Nelson said on Instagram. "Danielle is loved." Spencer also appeared on a mid-1980s reboot of the show, "What's Happening Now!!," which ran for three seasons. In 2018, she had emergency surgery for a bleeding hematoma, which stemmed from that 1977 car crash. In the immediate aftermath, a family spokesperson said she could only speak slightly and had to use crutches to walk. She had been suffering symptoms from at least 2004, when she had to use a wheelchair and relearn how to walk. In 2014, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy. She went on to become a veterinarian and advocate for animals. She attended the University of California, Davis, and UCLA, and got a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Tuskegee University in 1993. Spencer continued to dabble in acting in her later years, including an appearance as a veterinarian in the 1997 Jack Nicholson film "As Good as it Gets." She is survived by her brother, musician Jeremy Pelt, and her mother, Cheryl Pelt. (AP) SMR BK BK
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First Post
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- First Post
Danielle Spencer, who played little sister Dee on ‘What's Happening!!,' dies at 60
Spencer, who became a veterinarian later in life, died Monday at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, after a yearslong battle with cancer, family spokesperson Sandra Jones said. Danielle Spencer, who played the wisecracking and tattling little sister Dee Thomas on the 1970s sitcom 'What's Happening!!' has died at 60. Spencer, who became a veterinarian later in life, died Monday at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, after a yearslong battle with cancer, family spokesperson Sandra Jones said. As Dee, Spencer was the smarter, more serious younger sister who offered a steady stream of deadpan roasts of big brother Roger 'Raj' Thomas and his friends Dwayne Nelson and Freddie 'Rerun' Stubbs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Ooh, I'm gonna tell mama,' would become Dee's catchphrase. The show, set in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts and among the first on television to focus on the lives of Black teenagers, was based on the movie 'Cooley High' and ran on ABC from 1976 to 1979. It had a long legacy thanks to its memorable characters, including the geeky Raj, the catchphrase-spouting Dwayne, the red-bereted dancing phenom Rerun, and Dee with her eyerolls and icy stare. Early in the production of the show's first season, Spencer, then 12, was in a major car accident on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, that left her in a coma for three weeks and killed her stepfather, Tim Pelt. She would have spinal and neurological problems that would require multiple surgeries in the years afterward. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, and raised in New York, Spencer began acting when she was about 9. 'What's Happening!!' would be her first credited role. 'Imagine being plucked from obscurity to star in a TV show,' she told Jet magazine in 2014. 'I had never seen any young Black girl in that type of spotlight, so I didn't have a reference point in the media as to how to deal with this opportunity. I was from the Bronx.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Haywood Nelson, who played Dwayne on the show, paid tribute Tuesday to 'Dr. Dee, our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior.' 'We have lost a daughter, sister, family member, 'What's Happening' cast member, veterinarian animal rights proponent and healer, and cancer heroine. Our Shero,' Nelson said on Instagram. 'Danielle is loved.' Spencer also appeared on a mid-1980s reboot of the show, 'What's Happening Now!!,' which ran for three seasons. In 2018, she had emergency surgery for a bleeding hematoma, which stemmed from that 1977 car crash. In the immediate aftermath, a family spokesperson said she could only speak slightly and had to use crutches to walk. She had been suffering symptoms from at least 2004, when she had to use a wheelchair and relearn how to walk. In 2014, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy. She went on to become a veterinarian and advocate for animals. She attended the University of California, Davis, and UCLA, and got a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Tuskegee University in 1993. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Spencer continued to dabble in acting in her later years, including an appearance as a veterinarian in the 1997 Jack Nicholson film 'As Good as it Gets.' She is survived by her brother, musician Jeremy Pelt, and her mother, Cheryl Pelt.
